Family and the Lake House

Q & A

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

It's mid-August and I'll admit that as much as I don't want summer to come to an end, I can't stop thinking of all-things-fall-decor.

So, I thought I'd stop by today to share with you some adorable AND affordable fall home decor items that I've recently found over on Amazon. In fact, my first shipment of all-things-fall-fun is scheduled to be delivered by tomorrow evening!

WooHoo!

Now, let's just see if I'll have the patience to wait to decorate until September. Probably not. ;)

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

That's how many photos are on display in this blog post of mine - 100. Seriously you guys, consider this your warning. This is a looooong post with lots of pictures of yours truly and that lovely little family of mine.

I thought about breaking this post up into segments/days, but, as I'm sure most of you know by now, I'm not the best summer blogger and I figured it'd just be best to put it all out there all at once. So, if you decide to stick around and read/scroll through this entire post - then kudos to you!

It all started here, at our friend/the groom/husband-to-be Brian's house up in northern Michigan. We suited up and were ready to spend the day out on the water!

A handful of people took turns skiing and surfing. Jon got out there and surfed a bit, too.

We asked Henry if he'd like to get out there and surf and no joke, he immediately did this.

Look at his "thinking" face! It had me cracking up!

Welp, Henry gave it some serious thought.

After a few minutes had passed, he turned to me and said, "Mom, I thought about it and I want to go!"

Before we knew it, he was out on the lake with the bride/wife-to-be, Kathryn! She's amazing at all-things-life and she's obviously no stranger to the water!

Check this out...

Amazing, right?!

Henry finished up and Eliza jumped up to go next - because, of course, she wants to follow in her brother's footsteps at all times.

I still can't believe this happened!

Eliza eventually succumbed to all the fun and ended up napping for a bit.

We did some tubing and then headed in for dinner and s'mores...

...oh...and some intense hide-and-seek with some pretty adorable friends of ours!

What a great day we had.

We woke up slowly the next morning, did a little running around and then headed off to Mackinaw City.

We were pretty excited!

We knew we wanted to head over to Mackinaw Island, so we packed up some essentials (including jackets - which are always a must in northern Michigan) and jumped on a ferry.

If you've never been to Mackinaw Island - GO! You need to go. Seriously, book a trip for next summer...heck, book a trip for this summer if you've got the time!

I've been going randomly throughout the years since I was a little girl and I never tire of the island and all it has to offer.

I promise you'll love it!

Oh and look! Eliza is wearing shorts AND tennis shoes! WooHoo!!! I also told her I'd pay her two dollars to wear piggy tails. She obliged and she just got paid yesterday.

I just really wanted to see her in piggy tails!

Our ferry had arrived and the kiddos couldn't wait to hop on!

We had arrived!!!

Yup. The water really is that gorgeous....

#nofilter

First thing we did upon arrival was grab some drinks and some snacks.

Next up, we rented some bicycles.

This was Henry's third time to the island and Eliza's second. In the past, we've always rented a Burley Cart for both kids to sit in while Jon and I biked around the island. This year, however, the Tag-a-Long seemed intriguing, but we just weren't sure how the kids would manage riding around on the Tag-a-Long for the entire eight mile trip around the island.

Ultimately we got one of each; one Burley Cart and one Tag-a-Long. We had hoped the Burley Cart would serve as a resting place as we figured little legs would become weary. To our surprise, we found that both the kids loved the Tag-a-Long so much that we had to continuously remind them that each of them would get several turns to ride.

Anyway, I'm happy to report that it all worked out in the end and the kids had an absolute blast. Next time we go, we'll be getting two Tag-a-Longs, that's for sure!!

Look how stinkin' cute!

Seriously, I can't take the sweetness!

We'd stop every mile or so and switch it up...

Henry was ready for his turn!!!!

This little guy wanted to do ALL the work! I could immediately tell that Henry was trying super hard to make that bike go! His little hands were clenched, his shoulders were low and his little legs were pedaling away.

He was working it!

I just can't...Oh my gosh, I'm in love, in love, I say!

Seriously - my heart could just burst!

Oh and if you notice down in the picture below, you'll see that Jon's not wearing his shoes.

The reason being you ask?

Welp, Jon went to clean off some sunblock from his hands over in the lake and while attempting to do so, a hug wave came and splashed all over his feet, hence drenching his shoes in water. All I could do was laugh! So much for a little hand wash!

We stopped to take in the view.

Meanwhile, the kids strived to put all the rocks on the beach in their pockets...

And we were off once again!

Our ride was coming to an end, so I was sure to snap a few pics of the island as we rode by...

By the way, cars aren't allowed on the island. The only way to get around this place is by foot, bicycle or carriage! It's pretty amazing!

Sidenote: Jon and I once spent the night on the island for a wedding and in the mornings we would wake up to the sounds of horses trotting by our bed and breakfast.

It.was.magical. and oh-so-soothing.

Isn't this dreamy?

We grabbed some dinner on the island, purchased some fudge - because fudge is also a MUST while on Mackinaw Island - and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Sunset Cruise out on the Straits of Mackinac!

Wedding weekend had officially begun. :)

There were cookies and a bar on the boat.

Awesome-ness!

We were sailing off into the sunset!

Mama was reaaaaaaaally excited!

The kids had eaten at LEAST four cookies by this point...

...and then this happened...

Henry started catwalking and dancing up and down the aisle of the boat.

Luckily, the majority of the party was on the upper deck.

Pshhh...they didn't know what they were missing...............................

Obviously, the kids and I stayed down below to chill with a few other kids and adults.

I wasn't complaining though.

We still had quite an impressive view...

I was able to sneak upstairs a few different times to snap some pictures of the bridge.

I now interrupt this blog post for a quick photo shoot of the Mackinaw Bridge...

You guys, I loved this. Like, really, really, really loved this!!

After my love affair with the bridge ended, so did the cruise. Jon and I and the kiddos went back to the hotel and passed out.

Whew!

It had been a long day!

Before we knew it, we were up and at it again yet again. This time we were heading across the Mackinaw Bridge to head to Saint Ignace in the Upper Peninsula for the wedding ceremony!

The kids' first ride across the bridge (technically this was on our way back across the bridge after the wedding as I totally forgot to take a picture of them on our way over the first time).

The ceremony was beautiful, the bride was gorgeous, the groom was handsome and the kids were well-behaved...seriously, they were soooo quiet! Yay for that!

Oh and look! I took a selfie, well, because I was wearing makeup and my hair was brushed and we were stuck in traffic for a second. I wasn't wearing yoga pants and I wasn't the usual hot mess that I normally am.

These kind of moments are few and far between, so it had to be documented!

I actually felt put together.

So, boom!

Selfie!

We headed back over the bridge...

...then, once again, came back to the hotel.

Jon and I had decided that we'd both partake in a little bubbly, so we thought it'd be wise to call someone else to drive us to and from the reception.

The kids were pumped to ride in a taxi!

As we waited for our ride to arrive, we asked the kids to take a picture of Mama and Dad.

This is what we got...eh, good enough...a little crooked...but whatevs.

Then I thought it'd be a good idea to get a family pic by using the self-timer on my phone.

Everyone is smiling, sitting up, looking at the camera and is genuinely happy. But, alas, the lighting is terrible, there are people in the background, or possibly ghosts - I can't quite be sure, roaming the entryway and then there's that silver fox up that on that flatscreen completely stealing our thunder! Go figure!

The good news? It was 82 degrees and partly sunny...hahaha...do you see it? Tell me you see it! Ha!

#almostChristmasCardquality

#almost

Our taxi had arrived. It took us down the road to the reception and oh-my-gorgeousness, you guys!

This place was beautiful and oh-so-cool!

Upon arrival, Jon and I located the bar (Hello! Taxi?! ;)) and then we grabbed a few kid-friendly drinks for Henry and Eliza.

They were thrilled to be receiving a drink called, 7-Up - and it had cherries! LOL! Our kids NEVER have pop.........like...never, ever. It wasn't until the next day that I had informed them that they had been drinking pop.

They were in disbelief and giggled over the fact that they had indeed been drinking pop!

Anyhoo, the sugar from the 7-Up and cherries eventually kicked in...

These kids danced like nobody was watching. No, seriously. They were in their own little world and it was nothing short of amazing!

At one point, Henry started throwing out the peace sign. I had to ask where he learned about the peace sign and he informed me that he had seen it on a cartoon.

Okay, cool.

There it was again...

And again! I joined him this time.

Peace, yo!

After our peace talk, Henry went back to dancing with his lovely date...

Then I ruined everybody's fun by begging for a decent family photo, sans ghosts and silver foxes, outside of the the reception venue.

I mean, that's Lake Michigan in the background, how could we NOT get a picture!?

Then we were able to get a picture with this amazing family!!!!

The Best Man, Jason (brother of the groom), with his amazing and beautiful wife, Kristin and their gorgeous kiddos!

They flew all the way out from the beautiful state of Washington. Jon, Jason and Kristin all went to graduate school together and Jason was one of Jon's groomsmen in our wedding. I had met their daughter when she was a baby way back when I used to fly and when I was pregnant with Henry, but I'd never met their cute little boys. It was great to catch up. Oh how I wish we lived closer!

Oh my goodness, what a sweet, sweet family.

Unfortunately, the night was coming to a close and the venue requires that lights are turned off and no red light past 10 p.m. due to the fact that the reception location is also a night park. We wanted to stay and look at the stars, but, alas we had to leave as the kids were beginning to crash from all the sugar and dancing.

We quickly snapped some more pictures as the sun was setting...

We managed to catch the groom for a couple of pictures...

Then it was time to gather our things and go.

It was gearing up to be a gorgeous evening!

These kiddos desperately needed to hit the hay, but not without a thrilling taxi ride first!

Oh my word, the kids were crazy excited to not have to sit in car seats and I, of course, was a Nervous Nelly!

We made it back to the hotel...and as you can see the 7-Up and cherries were still a-flowin' for these party animals!

I made Jon take this picture of me with all my gear after the wedding.

My purse, our camera and a backpack filled with extra clothes, LeapFrogs, snacks, and who knows what was how I "Mommy-ed" that wedding!

FYI - we didn't use anything out of the backpack...better safe than sorry, though, am I right?!

The next morning we slept in, ate breakfast, met up with our friends', Jason and Kristin and their kids, in the pool for a bit, then packed up the car, said our goodbyes and headed home...well, kind of...

While still in the area, we wanted to drive by to see the newly married couple's new house. We passed through one of my favorite town's, Petosky, and happened to see a bunch of sailboats along the way.

Gosh, Michigan is so pretty.

Jon and I ultimately found the new house (which you can't see here). I snapped yet another selfie and then we headed home...for real this time!

Once home, Jon and I ordered Jimmy John's AND Buffalo Wild Wings because we're cool like that to make everyone happy after the long car ride home...

It was awesome.

Are you still there?

If so, thanks for sticking around and thanks for scrolling through!

In case you're wondering, as of today, Wednesday, I think all the sugar has finally left my kids' bodies. ;)

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